


Coffee for Coffee Haters

by princess_yosuke



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Avid Coffee Hater!Souji, Barista!Yosuke, Humor, M/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 05:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4992049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princess_yosuke/pseuds/princess_yosuke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Souji Seta hated coffee.</p>
<p>Maybe it was a bitter aftertaste it left in his mouth that no amount of sugar could ever hope to fix, or maybe it was the strong stench that made him feel more awake then he ever needed to be. </p>
<p>But when he discovers a cute barista working at the local coffee shop...well some sacrifices have to be made now don't they?<br/>(Written for 1000 Follower Request Giveaway on Tumblr!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coffee for Coffee Haters

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Long time no see!  
> This here is my second writing request for colonel-curry on tumblr who asked for a coffee shop AU! Apologies in advance, I don't drink coffee (or hot drinks) so I have no idea how all the terminology works! But please enjoy nonetheless!  
> Also [check out the voice acted version of the fic ](http://columbiasgreatestminds.tumblr.com/post/131124645846/an-audio-drama-i-made-for-cheshirekitsune-to) voiced by the awesome columbiasgreatestminds! Thank you so much again I love it so much!!!

Souji Seta hated coffee.

Maybe it was a bitter aftertaste it left in his mouth that no amount of sugar could ever hope to fix, or maybe it was the strong stench that made him feel more awake then he ever needed to be. Or it could have been the fact that everyone he knew swore by the freaking stuff, and he was beginning to suspect that it was all some cruel in-joke against him.

So why was a guy like Souji, a guy who despised coffee some much, standing in queue at the café down the street from his university campus on a day like today? A day when he could be doing practically anything else that didn’t involve the putrid brown liquid he so detested.

Well it sure was something, and right now that something was currently serving the rowdy queue in a barista uniform that made him look downright irresistible. His name was Yosuke Hanamura, a student currently doing a degree in law, and working part-time at the café as a means to make a little money. Souji had met the guy after drawing the short straw for his study group’s coffee run a few weeks ago. He was a patient guy, taking Souji’s inexperience with the whole ordering process (How the heck was he supposed to know that a venti was larger than a grande?) with good humor and an absolutely breathtaking smile.

So of course Souji couldn’t help but feel a little attracted to the guy, but there was only one small problem with that. One teensy tiny hurdle that Souji had to continually jump every time he entered that small coffee shop down the street from his university campus. A problem that Souji considered a sacrifice for a greater cause if it meant he got to see Yosuke Hanamura every day of the week.

That problem was he actually had to order something so he didn’t seem like a creep who came in just to check out one of the baristas.

“Hey it’s you again!” Yosuke greeted, his ‘I have to welcome you like this or they’ll fire me’ smile changing into something more genuine. Souji felt his heart skip a beat at it, this guy was cuter than he had any right to be dammit.

“Hey yourself,” Souji replied, leaning against the counter in a manner that he considered ‘flirtatious, but not too flirtatious that you could pick up that I’m actually trying to come onto you’. He was a master of subtlety after all. “Busy day?”

“No more chaotic than any other day,” Yosuke said. “You want the usual right?”

Souji could barely manage to hide the grimace that crept its way onto his face. To disguise the fact that he’d only been coming back to flirt with Yosuke, he’d decided to order the weakest tasting coffee he could, so as not to blow his cover. He’d been ordering a soy latte for the last week, it wasn’t as strong as an espresso, but even through the sweetness of the milk Souji could still taste the repugnant dirt water he so despised. Just the thought of tasting it again made his stomach feel queasy.

“Mmm I was thinking of trying something different,” Souji lied, hoping Yosuke hadn’t noticed his sudden paleness at the thought of drinking that demon’s brew anytime soon. “Any suggestions?”

To his surprise Yosuke laughed, “What you think I actually drink the stuff here!?” luckily for him, his voice was mostly drowned out by the sounds of the other customers. “I’m not into coffee myself, I just work here so I’m not buying fast food every other night. I’m more of a mineral water guy.”

That was it. That was the moment that Souji decided that he was completely head over heels for this boy. Friendly, good sense of humor, absolutely gorgeous and on top of that, didn’t like that nauseating bean juice. Whatever kind deity from the heavens above allowed such a perfect creature to exist, Souji had decided he was now their number one devoted follower.

“But if you want my suggestion, I’d recommend a caramel macchiato.”

Souji snapped out of his awed stupor, suddenly remembering that although Yosuke had just informed him of his dislike of coffee, the barista still very much believed that Souji liked the stuff. Great move Seta, just dig yourself deeper into this pit why don’t you?

“That’s not you getting me to buy the most expensive thing on the menu is it?” he retorted, eyes scanning the menu above to check what that kind of drink actually entailed. It had caramel in it, it couldn’t be THAT bad, could it?

“It could be,” Yosuke said, giving him a playful wink. “Or maybe I’m just a macchiato enthusiast.”

“I thought you said you didn’t like coffee.”

“I don’t, but I can ‘enthuse’ other people to buy it.”

“Cute.”

Yosuke’s grin widened, “I try to be!” he confessed, rocking back on his heels. Maybe it was just Souji’s imagination, but he could have sworn the guy was flirting with him too.

He didn’t have long to think about when a voice called out from the other counter, interrupting their banter. “Yosuke!” The voice belonged to a young woman with short brunette hair and a fierce expression. Souji had seen her a few times manning the cash register when things got too crowded, Chie was her name if he recalled.

“Boss says to stop making goo-goo eyes at the customers and get back to work!”

Yosuke let out an ungraceful sputter and pushed back off the counter, nearly stumbling over his own two feet. “I wasn’t–“ he stammered for a few seconds before focusing his attention back on the machine in front of him. “So that will be one caramel macchiato right?” he finally managed to say, in a rather fast tone at that.

Souji held back a laugh at the sight of Yosuke’s flustered form. This guy just kept getting more and more adorable by the second. He decided he shouldn’t leave him hanging on an answer and let him get back to his job. He’d take the macchiato, who knows, maybe this was the coffee that would blow Souji’s mind, and change his opinion on all hot caffeinated beverages for the rest of his life.

Probably not, but wishful thinking right?

                                                        —

“He is completely head over heels for you, you know that right?”

Yosuke hadn’t noticed Chie’s presence until she’d spoken. He jumped and let out an incredibly unmanly squeak, nearly dropping the coffee he’d been preparing in the process. A few patrons that were chilling out in the café turned their heads to see the source of all the commotion.

“Ah!” He gasped, finally calming down before throwing a glare over at his co-worker. “Chie what the hell?”

Chie ignored his outburst pointing towards the door that Souji had left from. Who after being served his macchiato had left, claiming he needed to finish up on some last minute readings for class. “That guy’s come in here every day for the past four weeks. You do realize he hates coffee?”

Yosuke couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him at Chie’s comment, it was pretty much obvious Souji hated the stuff. He’d sneaked a peek at the other guy on the few times he stayed at the café to finish his drink, the poor guy looked like he was about to be sick with every sip he took of it. You’d think after the first week he would have given up and chose a less caffeinated hot drink to try.

“Well yeah, that was sorta obvious,” He said. “But where the heck did you get the ‘head over heels’ thing from?”

“Seriously Hanamura?” Chie raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “He hates coffee, yet he comes to a coffee shop every day. Just to talk to you I might add!”

Yosuke rubbed his chin thoughtfully at the deduction. “Then I guess he won’t be weirded out by me leaving my number on his cup.”

The double-take Chie made was well worth it. “Wait….What!?” she screeched, once again disturbing the customers, some even glaring in their direction. Yosuke flashed them a quick apologetic smile. Chie however was still in a state of shock. “Yosuke, you didn’t–“

“Come on Chie, I know flirting when I see it!” Yosuke smirked, it was not every day he got to see Chie so speechless and he was going to relish every second of it. “Since he wasn’t going to make the first move anytime soon, I figured, what the hell!? Plus he’s hot and he hates coffee, we already have some things in common.”

Chie blinked, as if she was still trying to process what exactly just happened, before finally letting out a boisterous laugh. “I’m impressed Hanamura!” she said, lightly punching him in the shoulder, though this being Chie, a light punch still was enough to make Yosuke let out a hiss of pain. “I didn’t think you had any game! But look at you, all taking the initiative and everything.”

“Yeah, well I am pretty smooth.” Yosuke sighed, scratching the back of his head. He could have waited until Souji had made the first move sure, but who knows how long that would have taken? It was painful watching the poor guy pay for a coffee he despised just so he could talk to the cute barista who served it to him. But it was also endearing in a way, Yosuke guessed. If he was brave enough to endure the worm dirt they served here for Yosuke then he had to be….wait a minute.

“Wait…what do you mean I don’t have any game!?”

—

Souji stared down at the warm coffee cup in his hands. He was going to have to drink it sooner or later he told himself. Half his budget had gone into this brilliant pick up plan of his, the least he could do was not waste the stuff. Placing the cup to lips, he allowed the warm liquid to pour down his throat, mentally preparing for the horribly bitter taste that would soon follow.

It never came.

The drink was…actually pretty good. Sweet and creamy, with the added caramel giving it an extra kick. There wasn’t any caffeine in there, Souji would have known. But who had….?

He looked at the cup, maybe there’d been some sort of mix up and he might have gotten someone else’s conveniently similar order. It seemed unlikely but he had to check.

And that’s when he noticed, a set of writing in a different pen to the one usually used to mark the cup with a name and order. It was neater so he could make it out too, a message just for him.

_Figured since u hated coffee, Id skip on giving you the xpresso! U alredy fascinate me enough wthout havin to pretend to like it Dude!!! :P_

_Call me if u wanna hangout. No coffee dates tho!_

Souji didn’t even need to see the pattern of numbers that were scribbled on underneath the message to know what this meant. Joy filled him up, like the sweet warm non-caffeinated drink he’d just swallowed. He was grinning like an idiot in the middle of a busy footpath and he didn’t care. Yosuke liked him back!

Souji pressed the cup to his lips again, enjoying the drink Yosuke had made just for him. Maybe coffee wasn’t so bad after all, if it meant Souji got asked out by a cute brunet barista with a gorgeous smile, then it couldn’t be that evil now could it?


End file.
